Wind Fish Revisited
by Skatche
Summary: Link awakes on the beach of Koholint Island, with no recollection of the recent past. Action ensues, infused with romance and subtle humour. Read and Review; Read and Review.
1. The Bad Hangover

I don't own Legend of Zelda, yadda yadda yadda, please don't sue me.  
  
Enjoy this fan fiction. I wrote it once when I was like 10, and now I'm rewriting it. The revised version should, I'm sure, be rather better. If you disagree, by all means, feel free to tell me as blatantly as you want.  
  
--Chapter 1--  
  
A beach.  
  
He was on a beach.  
  
Link was on a beach. He was lying face-down, with sand in his mouth and what felt like a massive hangover in his head. That was all he could determine about his situation. Sitting up blearily, he coughed and spat, then crawled to the water to wash out his mouth. That was a mistake. He gagged on the salty brine.  
  
With the vile taste still fresh in his mouth, Link turned slowly, taking in his surroundings. His vision was blurry, but he could make out an incline leading up to a forest a dozen yards inland. He managed to stand and stumble groggily towards it.  
  
What was he doing here? Link couldn't quite remember how he'd ended up on the beach. But as he wandered along the narrow path winding between the trees, his settings began to take on an eerie familiarity. He'd been here before. He'd walked along this path before.  
  
An octorok wandered around a bend and stared stupidly at him. Ah, yes. He'd fought on this path as well.  
  
As he clumsily drew his sword he nicked his hand and swore loudly. The octorok regarded him inquisitively. It wore a curious expression, if that was possible for an octorok. Playfully, it spat a rock at his odd, green-garbed new friend. It hit Link in the stomach, winding him. Falling to his knees, he vomited. Then, slowly, he turned his head up to the stupid creature, who was already preparing another present.  
  
That was it. Link snapped.  
  
Screaming obscenities, he ran at the octorok, wildly flailing his sword around. The octorok, realizing it was in trouble, began chirping for help. It didn't help much when Link's sword severed the top of its head, and it fell lifeless to the ground. Link didn't stop here, stabbing repeatedly at the corpse.  
  
Finally he stopped and knelt, panting heavily. As he calmed down, he became aware of the presence of creatures around him. Slowly he turned in a full circle, and found himself almost surrounded by at least fifty octoroks, staring coldly at him and their fallen comrade. Slowly, Link stood up. A hundred metallic blue eyes swiveled to follow him. He grasped his sword, and pulled it from the corpse as gently as he could. The monsters watched him intently.  
  
Link slowly walked towards the edge of the circle, glancing every few moments over his shoulder at the octoroks behind him. The tension made the air thick. Finally he reached one end of the gang. Without warning, he broke into a run.  
  
And so when Link, with a terrible headache, the taste of sand and salt water in his mouth, clutching his aching stomach, bruised and scratched by low-hanging branches, and being chased by fifty angry octoroks, stumbled out of the forest and into the house directly ahead of him, slamming the door behind him, he was rather surprised to see Marin stirring a large pot and Tarin waiting happily at the table.  
  
"Link!" giggled Marin. "What a pleasant surprise!"  
  
Link gaped. Slowly, carefully, he lowered himself to his knees. He gaped some more. There was a brief, awkward silence before Link fell gracefully towards the floor and hit it rather less gracefully. There was a sickening thud. "Oh dear," said Tarin, scratching his moustache. "Guess we better get him to the guest bed." 


	2. Flashbacks Abound!

Today on Wind Fish Revisited: Flashbacks abound!  
  
--Chapter 2--  
  
Perhaps this would be a good time to explain just who Marin and Tarin are, and as it were, what the hell is going on.  
  
Only three years ago, Link had been sailing when his ship was struck by an enormous bolt of lightning. He had awoken to find himself in the house of Marin and Tarin, on an island called Koholint.  
  
Here he slowly came to realize that the island was in fact the dream of a mysterious creature known as the Wind Fish - not only that, but the dream world was plagued by Nightmares - vile, shadowy creatures who caused the monsters of Koholint to become more aggressive, more dangerous...  
  
Link had managed to slay the Nightmares, one by one, and then awoke the Wind Fish with a song on his ocarina. The dream world had faded and vanished, taking with it Marin, Tarin and everything else on Koholint Isle. As he'd watched, from a plank of his ruined ship, the Wind Fish sail, singing happily, through the sky overhead, he had been filled with a strange happiness and tranquility - but also, at the same time, a horrible, aching sadness; for all of Koholint had been forever lost.  
  
Or so he'd thought.  
  
----  
  
All of this Link remembered, and more, as he sat alone, his head in his hands, in the guest bedroom of Marin and Tarin's house. How in hell was he back here, on Koholint? The Wind Fish, for all he knew, was on the other side of Hyrule.  
  
Hyrule. Sigh. He could remember now details of the past few days. He'd finally announced his engagement to Zelda. Sweet, fair Zelda. He missed her terribly. He could remember having a party, a banquet, to celebrate their engagement. It had been a very good banquet - such was to be expected, as it had been paid for by the royal family. There had been delicious roasts, exotic fruits, superb desserts - and great wine. Lots and lots of great wine.  
  
And so Link, quite drunk, had teetered unsteadily up to his room after the party, and passed out asleep on his bed.  
  
That was where the beach came in. That, and the sand. And the hangover.  
  
Oh, Zelda... Link missed her already. He wanted to be in her arms; he was in a dream instead. Somehow, even in the dream, he had a hangover.  
  
And Marin. Marin looked - and sounded - exactly like Zelda. Her melodious laugh, her radiant smile... every detail was perfect, right down to the cute little birthmark under her lip. The only way he could tell them apart was that Marin didn't wear the traditional royal garb. When he'd first come to Koholint Island, he'd mistaken her for Zelda. At the back of his mind, he'd even fallen in love with her. Perhaps that's why he'd fallen for Zelda after his return to Hyrule.  
  
But that was three years ago. He was marrying Zelda now. If, that is, he could get off this accursed island for a second time.  
  
----  
  
Link stormed out of the house carrying an axe. Marin, startled, asked, "Where are you going?"  
  
"To the beach," growled Link. With one thing and another, he was in a foul mood.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm leaving." 


	3. The Boat and the Owl

Today: Out to sea, and the Owl.

Chapter 3

-----------

After several hours of back-breaking work, swearing loudly, cutting, chopping and a failed attempt or two, Link managed to construct a crude boat and simple oar.  It had been hollowed out of an old tree.  He stood back, admiring his handiwork.

A fluttering behind him made him turn.  There stood before him a great owl, perhaps six feet tall.  His imposing figure loomed over Link like the Goddesses themselves.  He hooted.

Link cursed under his breath.  "It's you," he said coldly.

"Hoot!" said the owl jovially in his thick British accent.  "A good day to you, Link!  For a good day it is, a good day it is indeed!  I don't suppose that might be a boat you've constructed?  It's quite nice, but it could use a figurehead, or perhaps a nice finish.  I'd certainly sand it before sitting in it, hoot!  Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes," sighed Link.  "I'm getting off this island."

"But Link," said the Owl, "Do you really think that's a good idea?  Koholint being, as it were, a dream?  Don't you think that sailing away won't really achieve anything?  I think you should reconsider."

The Owl made valid points – perhaps Link should have thought this through, but he refused to admit it.  To begin with, he'd spent nearly all day making this boat, and he was damned if he wasn't going to use it.  But even more, he hated the Owl – always wasting Link's time, chatting up a storm.  He was the most annoying creature Link had ever met, and he refused to ever give in to him.  If anything, the Owl had strengthened his foolish resolve.

"Mind your own damn business," growled Link, and he launched his tiny rowboat.  He had only gone a dozen metres away from shore when the Owl landed beside him, rocking the boat.  "What now?!" yelled Link.  His headache, which had mostly gone away, began to throb again.

"I only thought I'd accompany you," said the Owl pleasantly.  "Where do you plan to go, hoot?  You know, this reminds me of my seafaring days," – Link wondered how an owl, even a talking one, had managed to sail a ship – "when I sailed to Gervania.  Quite a nice place, Gervania.  But it's hard to get used to – by law, you know, you're only allowed to walk on your hands.  And you don't want to _know how they eat, hoot!  Quite nice people, the Gervanians…"_

Link tuned out the owl.  Half of him now concentrated on the effort of rowing, and the rest pondered his situation.  He was now on a tiny boat, with an owl a head taller than he was, sailing in what appeared to be progressively more treacherous waters.  I must be mad, he thought.

The waters were indeed becoming more treacherous.  The waves now reached above even the head of the Owl, and water splashed into the boat.  Overhead, the sky darkened.  Lightning flashed, and was followed closely by the thick, deep rumble of thunder.

"Well, I say, hoot!" said the Owl.  "This weather isn't looking very favourable, is it?  Now, do you see, Link?  I told you we shouldn't have come out here, hoot!"

"Shut up!" Link snarled, straining against the oar.  It began to rain.  The waves increased in size.

"Link, I really do think you're going to regret going any further.  You're getting close to the edge of the dream…"  Lightning and thunder once again, almost as if in response.

"The what?!  The edge of the dream?!"

"Well, of course, hoot!  The dream has boundaries, Link m'boy.  The farther you sail from the island, the worse the waters get… and when you go far enough…" he stared over Link's shoulder.  Link turned.

What he saw behind him, only a few dozen metres away, was terrifying.  A great, shimmering wall of – perhaps water, perhaps something far worse – stretched up towards the heavens.  He couldn't see the top of it.  Link, shaking, took his bow from his back and, removing a single arrow from his quiver, fired it into the wall.  There was a flash, and the arrow was gone.  The wall rippled a bit.  Rain poured down, gaining in intensity.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?!" shouted Link, almost drowned out by the wind and the rain.  The Owl didn't answer.  "Dammit, I could've got myself killed!"

The Owl said, vacantly, "Oh dear…"

Out of nowhere, a massive wave flung Link's tiny boat several feet into the air.  He was plunged headfirst into the salt water, and came up sputtering.  His boat landed some distance away.  Link swam for it, but his attempt was made futile by wave after crashing wave of foul-tasting water.

And then he was gripped under the arms by something that felt like rope, and lifted skyward.  "Hang on, Link!" hooted the Owl who, Link realized, was straining to carry him.

Fighting against the whirling currents of the air, the Owl flew valiantly towards land.  Before long, as they neared the island, the storm was left behind, becoming a gentle rain.  The waves and the wind died down.  At long last they touched the warm sand of the beach.  The rain had stopped completely.  Link collapsed to his hands and knees, coughing up swallowed – and inhaled – seawater.  The Owl watched him patiently.

"Thanks," Link said after emptying most of his stomach onto the sand.  The Owl said nothing.  He seemed to smile, despite his beak.  Then he flew away, disappearing into the distance.  Link stood after some time and walked back to Marin's house.

A few hours passed, and a puny ship and a small oar washed up with the tide.


	4. Marin's Cave

Today: Link and Marin, sort of.

Chapter 4

-----------

The sun had set, and Link now sat sniffling at the table.  He wore nothing but a large blanket; his clothes had been set to dry in front of the roaring fire shortly after he had stamped soggily into the house.  Tarin had gone off to sleep, and Marin had offered to take care of Link.  Between the fire, the blanket and the dark outside, Link felt far cozier than he had in a long time.

In the corner of the small room, Marin tasted a spoonful of cucco broth from the pot, and then poured some into a bowl.  She put it on the table in front of Link.  "You really are more trouble than you're worth," she teased.

Link managed a laugh.  It was true, of course – every time he saw Marin and her father, it was because he was injured, or ill, or otherwise in need of help.  He sipped the broth, which had been seasoned to perfection.  Marin was an excellent cook.  He sneezed, and grinned miserably.

"What happened, anyway?" Marin said at last.

"I tried to row away from the island… then there was a *sniff* storm, and I almost drowned, but the Owl saved me.  You know him, don't you?"

"Oh yes, of course.  He eats all the rats and mice around the house, and in return we, uh, allow him to eat them."  She sat down at the table across from him, and watched him intently.  There was an awkward silence, broken by Link's slurps.

"This is really good," he said, and sniffed.  "Your own recipe?"

"Yes and no… the original recipe is dad's, but it tastes very different, because it has octorok meat in it."

"Huh."

Another silence.  Marin stared out the window.

"Let me show you something," she said at last.

**

Outside it was surprisingly warm despite the night.  Link had been worried he'd worsen his cold, but that was obviously not the case.  The two of them tread over the soft ground, Marin leading Link by the hand.  They reached the beach, and began to walk in silence along its length.  The full moon reflected on the water, and the waves washed gently along the shore, creating a beautiful, throbbing melody.  After fifteen minutes, they stopped.  "You need to crawl here," said Marin, indicating a small opening into the cliff face opposite the water.

Inside, it was pitch black, and the tunnel snaked back and forth, around and around, always with a slight upward slope.  But it didn't fork – or else Link surely would have lost his way – and at last dim light shone from up ahead.  They emerged into a small cave near the top of the cliff which opened towards the sea, providing a breathtaking view of the sea.

But this was nothing in comparison to what Link saw.  In the center of the cave, an oddly-shaped stalactite of strange, rippling crystal met a stalagmite of the same transparent material, creating a kind of sparkling pillar.  Lights danced and shimmered across the walls as the moon refracted through the crystal.  The two stood staring in awe for a while before Link realized he was still holding Marin's hand.  He let go; this broke Marin's transfixion.  "Isn't it beautiful?" she breathed.  Link nodded in agreement.

"I used to come here all the time… I still do, every full moon.  I even made a kind of seat."  She motioned towards a crude wooden bench.  The two sat down, facing so they could see both the moon and the shimmering patterns.

They sat for a while.  Marin ended the silence: "Link… I missed you while you were gone."  He wasn't quite sure what to say, so he let her continue.  "We never get visitors on this island, and a new face is always welcome."  She paused.  "Do you remember how I said I wanted to be a seagull, and fly to strange lands all over the world?  I always believed that the man who was meant for me, my one true love, lived in a far-off place.  There's certainly no one for me here."

She sighed.  Link realized she was trembling.  He began to take off his blanket to offer it to her, and then realized he wasn't wearing anything underneath.  He quickly put it back.  To his relief, she hadn't noticed – she was too busy staring out of the cave at the bright full moon.

Marin continued, her voice shaky at first: "Link, I… I always imagined I'd go off to find my true love.  I never thought that he'd come here.  I never thought that _you'd come here…"_

She paused just long enough for this new information to sink into Link's muddled brain.  "Link…" she breathed, "I love you."

Link opened his mouth a few times and closed it.  This was going to be tricky.  How would he break it to her that…?  He looked into her pleading eyes.

"I…" he began, and stopped.  He tried again: "I think I should tell you that… back in Hyrule… I'm engaged, see, to Princess Zelda…"  He choked.

A single tear rolled down Marin's face.  "I see," she said.  She took a long, sad look at Link, then quietly stood and padded out of the cave.

"Marin, I…" began Link, but she was already gone.  He sighed.  Taking one last look around the shimmering cave, he departed.  When he emerged from the opening in the cliff face, he could barely make out Marin running at the other end of the beach, just turning in towards the town.  He sighed.

Tomorrow, he thought to himself as he wandered home, tomorrow he would try again to get off the island.  This time he'd try to visit the Wind Fish – if indeed the creature was still on Koholint.  But was the Wind Fish still the cause of this dream, too?  Had he really gone back to sleep _again?  Link doubted it._

Ah well, he thought.  More answers tomorrow.  But now, sleep.

----

I bet you thought this would turn into a lemon, didn't you?  Well, nyeah!


	5. The Nightmares Return

Today: At last, some real action!

Chapter 5

-----------

"Hello?"  Link's call echoed through the empty expanse of the maze in the Wind Fish's egg.  Knowing what to expect, he lit his torch so he could see where the hole in the ground was.  Peering over the edge, he saw nothing but the bare floor below.  "Hellooooo?!" he cried again.  Finally he leapt down into the pit, landing nimbly on his feet.

He began to explore the twisty network of passages.  _Now, he thought, __what was it again?  North, east, north, north, west, north.  And then he was overlooking yet another pit, this one with a significantly larger drop.  The bottom was shrouded in darkness.  Below here was the place where he had fought the Nightmare, a battle which had lasted many hours.  Link shuddered; it was something he preferred not to recall._

Leaping down, he fell for several long seconds, managing to land on his feet before falling to the ground.  He lay there for several seconds, winded, before struggling to his feet.  He looked around, and was relieved.  Although the room was still marred with blood, scratches and even a couple of arrows from his previous battle, the Nightmare appeared to still be dead.  It took Link a few seconds to realize that the long staircase which had once taken him to the Wind Fish was still in its place.  He began to climb cautiously upwards.

As he raised himself step after step, his surroundings began to change, taking on a misty quality.  By the time he neared the end of his exhaustingly long climb, the walls had faded away leaving nothing but dark clouds, dotted here and there with stars.  At the top of the stairs, Link could see some kind of altar.

Finally he reached the top step and sat down for a minute or two, puffing and wheezing.  It was just as quiet here as it had been in the Egg, he noticed.  Finally having managed to catch his breath, he stood up and looked at the altar.  It had appeared empty from lower on the stairs, but from here he could see that it was a kind of plush bed.

With a startling realization, Link noticed that there was a figure under the silk blankets.  He slowly peeled back the – Oh horror.  Link reeled.  The figure was him.  He stared at his perfect replica, lifeless, eyes closed, lying in the bed.  Lifeless?  No.  Leaning closer through morbid curiosity, Link realized the replica was faintly breathing.  His heart pounded.  He backed slowly away from the bed – and stopped.

Something was behind him.

Drawing his sword as he spun around, he stared at the small creature that stood before him.  Like a spider, only black – blacker than any living creature.  Light seemed to fall into it, escaping only through the monster's brightly glowing red eyes.

A nightmare.  A small one, but a nightmare.  Sweat beaded on Link's forehead. 

It skittered towards Link, making a terrible clacking noise.  He lashed out at it blindly, managing by luck more than anything else to cut it in half.  Moment's later the clacking noise sounded elsewhere – from all around the room, it seemed.

The sound grew in intensity.  Link whipped around, his eyes widening in terror.  Apparently climbing out of nowhere, hundreds of nightmare spiders were slowly lining the walls.  Link didn't have to think – he began to run, faster than he ever had, down the stairs.  Behind him, thousands of black shadows with red eyes poured after him.

But at the bottom of the stairs, he realized his mistake.  He was at a dead end – on one side, a horde of nightmares; on the other, an unyielding, unforgiving wall of stone.  Link panicked, spun around, and began slashing at the spiders.  No good – too many.  Got to escape.  In desperation, he turned back to the wall and drove his sword, hard, into a crack between two bricks.  It held.  Pulling himself up, he whipped a small dagger out of his sheath and jammed it into a higher crack; this held too, but as he pulled himself up he felt it bend slightly.  The spiders swarmed after him; he kicked them to the floor.  In this way he climbed yard after agonizing yard.

But now some of the spiders had gone around him, and were approaching from above.  Holding his sword tight he yanked out his dagger and slashed at the approaching fiends, knocking several of them to the floor.  Despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he could feel his strength beginning to ebb.  He scrambled higher, jammed his dagger in.  The spiders continued to attack.  One bit his hand.  He cried out in pain, and almost let go of his precious handhold.  Reaching up with his other hand, he batted away some of the spiders.

And now, here was the end in sight.  Scrambling madly, he climbed a few more yards.  His clothing clung to his body, soaked in perspiration.  Terror had long ago replaced all rational thought with animalistic instinct.

And then it happened.  His dagger, bent to ninety degrees, snapped off at the hilt.  The edge of the pit was still four feet away.  But then – hope!  Link noticed a small handhold near the top.  Crying out with incredible force, he flung himself up and wedged his foot into the hold.  The spiders began to nibble at his leg; he ignored them, gritting his teeth to mask the pain.  Pulling his sword inch by inch out of the wall, he swung himself until he was able to grab the edge of the pit and pull himself up.

Using the last of his strength, he ran through the maze to the bottom of the first pit, leapt up (for it was only four feet deep), and fled from the Egg, pursued by the nightmares.  He ran through the plains to the forest and hid inside a hollowed-out log.  He waited, not daring to breathe, as the spiders swarmed past, and then finally disappeared out of sight, their clacking footsteps fading into the distance.

Now that he was safe, the adrenaline in Link's body faded; only now did he realized that his hand and his leg were throbbing terribly.  Ignoring them, he began to think through what had just happened.

How were the nightmares back?  Hadn't he killed them off only a few years ago?  Well, the point was that obviously they _were back, which would prevent him from leaving Koholint.  And what about the thing he'd seen at the top of the stairs?  Why had he seen __himself, asleep where the Wind Fish was?  Did it mean that he was the dreamer this time?_

Of course!  He was the dreamer!  The Wind Fish's Koholint had been recreated in his mind.  That explained everything, especially the spider-like nightmares.  Why shouldn't the nightmares take the form of his worst fear?  Link was terrified of spiders, although tektites, strangely enough, did not bother him. Perhaps it was because spiders were so much smaller, and could crawl into little hiding places… Link shuddered and turned his mind back to important things.  Such as his leg and hand, which felt like they were going to explode.

Wincing at the pain, he crawled out of the moldy log and made his way through the forest in the direction of town.  He was nearing the final stretch of the path when the Owl fluttered silently down in front of him.  "Hoot," he said quietly.  "Perhaps you'd best go more cautiously…"

"What do you mean?" said Link.  The Owl motioned towards a small opening in the foliage.  Link crept over and peered through.

From here he could see what the Owl was talking about.  Flames curled from the rubble that had once been the village, burning orange against the black sky.  Link winced.  If he had been at the village…

Something moved.  Link strained his eyes to see the figure.  It was undoubtedly a nightmare, in the shape of a moblin, ambling through the village apparently on patrol.  Carefully removing his bow and an arrow from his back, Link took aim and fired.  Bull's-eye; the arrow stuck quivering in the nightmare's head, and it fell awkwardly to the ground before evaporating in black smoke.

Over the next five minutes, several other nightmares fell in the same way.  Finally Link deemed it safe, and stepped quietly out from his hiding place.  He began to explore the ruined village.  The nightmares had been quite thorough in their destruction; not a single building still stood, not a single person remained.  Link felt sick to his stomach.

A sound behind him made him spin around, sword, ready.  But when he saw Tarin lying on the ground, struggling to call Link, he rushed over.  Up close, he found to his horror that Tarin's side had been pierced by a single black arrow – the kind the nightmares used.  Tarin was in agony, but finally managed to speak.  "They… they took Marin," he gasped.

Link nodded solemnly.  "I'll find her," he said, "but first I need to fix you up."

"No…" said Tarin.  "She's more important."

Ignoring him, Link carefully extracted the arrow, and began bandaging the wound.

"Alright then," said Tarin.  "You're not going to listen to me?  Fine."  He died.

Link stared at the little man with his bushy moustache, and found himself choking with sadness.   He closed Tarin's eyes and stood, turning away.  A few tears dripped down his face, but he made no sound.

A small figure moving through the sky came closer, growing in size until it was six feet tall.  The Owl landed lightly next to Link.  "Hoot, Link!" he said excitedly.  "There's a ship just leaving the beach, and Marin is aboard, hoot!  She's tied up!"  He ruffled his feathers anxiously.

"Dammit!" cried Link, and ran from the village, followed by the Owl.  He arrived at the beach just in time to see the ship, black as night, sailing in the distance.  He cried out curses at the nightmares, and finally sat down in despair on a log.  The log turned over, revealing a hollowed-out interior.

Link's boat.

"Hoot!" said the Owl.  "Now there's a stroke of luck!  You know, there was one time when I was a young lad, and broke, you know, as many young lads are –"

"Shut up, Owl," said Link.

The Owl shut up.


	6. The End

Today: The stunning conclusion!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
------------  
  
The rain beat down. Lightning. Thunder. All around, the elements waged war against the black ship and its tiny pursuer. Link was having a hard time just keeping his boat from tipping; progress towards to the Nightmares' vessel was painfully slow. In final desperation, Link dove under the frigid waters and swam towards the shadowy underside of the ship. This seemed at last to make the currents favour him, pulling him closer to this goal rather than away. Link emerged beside the soaking wood of the mighty hull, and grabbing hold of a rope, pulled himself hand-over-hand to the edge of the deck.  
  
Peering over the railing, he caught sight of a single nightmare, standing guard. He stared at it, trying to discern its shape. Something about its squat, muscular body and piggish snout terrified Link. Masking his fear, he climbed quietly over the railing when the guard turned its back. The creature didn't hear him through the raging of the storm and the crashing of the waves onto the wooden hull. But creeping closer, a board sounded an alarm beneath him, squeaking loudly.  
  
Instantly the pig-guard spun around, and a large trident materialized in its hands. Link gasped with the dread recognition – this was a Nightmare shadow of Ganon. He thought: Am I that afraid of Ganon returning and taking Zelda? Whipping out his sword, Link steeled himself for battle.  
  
Ganon struck first, bringing his trident down at Link in a great clumsy arc. Link swiftly sidestepped, and ran Ganon through. But rather than crying out in pain, the black creature just turned his head, looking blankly at Link. Link withdrew his sword, dumbfounded.  
  
Ganon swung again, and Link just managed to block the massive trident. The force of the blow knocked him all the way to the door which lead to the hold, where he crashed painfully to the deck. The door opened, and Link found himself looking up at another Nightmare, this time one which he recognized instantly.  
  
Himself.  
  
Shadow Link.  
  
Link rolled to the side, and Shadow Link's downward thrust barely missed him, ripping his clothes instead. Scrambling to his feet, Link moved his sword just in time to intercept yet another wide swing of Ganon's trident.  
  
All of a sudden he was being attacked from two sides; remembering years of combat experience, he tried to keep one of his foes between the other and himself – but Shadow Link seemed to anticipate his every move, and he was forced to remain on the defensive. His strength was failing; one of his adversaries alone was more than a match for him. Both at the same time was simply insanity.  
  
And then, just when Link felt he was beginning to gain the upper hand, a great wave slammed into the ship, and he lost his precarious footing on the slippery deck. Shadow Link brought his sword down once again, and opened a deep gash in Link's injured leg.  
  
To Link's horror, the wound began to turn black… and then a single shadow spider crawled out. And then another. And another. Shadow Link and Ganon seemed to just stare at Link's leg. Dozens of Nightmare spiders swarmed out, one after another. Link screamed and, terror giving him renewed strength, scrambled to his feet. He began slashing wildly at the spiders, though it seemed to have no effect. Shadow Link and Ganon, too, were shocked out of their apparent trance and attacked Link with renewed vigour.  
  
Through the agony flowing through Link's body, through the rain, through the dipping and swaying of the ship and the lightning and the thunder, through the vicious battle, Link noticed that the black vessel was sailing towards what seemed to be a great, swirling gray wall. No, he thought. Not the edge of the dream.  
  
He realized that he was fighting a losing battle; his sword strokes seemed to have no effect on any of the Nightmares. Turning to the door into the hold, he broke into a run. He could hear, feel Shadow Link behind him, close on his heels. Flinging out his foot without thinking about it, he felt a connection, and heard his assailant fall behind him. The Nightmare was almost instantly on its feet again, but this short advantage was all Link needed. Reaching the door, he ran inside, slamming it shut and locking it behind him. The handle jiggled briefly, and someone began pounding from the other side. Each blow seemed the one that would shatter the door.  
  
"Marriiiin?!" Link cried out.  
  
"Down here!" came her voice from below.  
  
Running down the stairs, Link found her tied up. He cut her bonds. "Come on!" he cried, although Marin needed no urging. She stood up – and then the door burst, and in rushed a hundred spiders, Shadow Link, and Ganon. Marin screamed. The Nightmares moved in for attack.  
  
But Link was quicker to the draw. The adrenaline pumping through his exhausted veins reached a focal point, and, hoisting Marin over his shoulder, he shouted out a great roar and leapt – was it possible? – over the heads of the assailants. He landed awkwardly, and twisted the ankle on his already-injured leg. Crying out in pain, he continued up the stairs, through the broken door.  
  
The edge of the dream now loomed greatly above the ship. It was close – far too close. Link now realized, far too late, that his boat was probably halfway back to shore. Once again, he hadn't thought things out. They were trapped. Behind them, the Nightmares simply stood staring with their fiery eyes. Their goal had been achieved, Link realized. They would disappear in the dream's edge, but take Link and Marin with them…  
  
"Marin," he choked, "we're going to hit the edge of the dream…" The rain around them seemed to quiet, fading into the background.  
  
"I know," Marin said.  
  
"We're going to die," he said.  
  
"Maybe… but maybe not…"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I always wanted to explore the world…" As she turned her head to him, Link could see now that she was crying. "Maybe this is the only way off of Koholint."  
  
"Marin, when we hit that wall, we're going to be disintegrated. We'll die." He choked on his own tears.  
  
"If that happens… maybe I'll be reincarnated as a seagull."  
  
The wall was closer now – mere metres. It had already begun swallowing up the front of the ship.  
  
"You know that's what I've always wanted," said Marin. She smiled sadly. "Maybe… maybe I'll be able to find my true love out there."  
  
"I love you, Marin," said Link. He realized that now – moments away from death. Even if she was just a dream, she was the reason he was going to marry Zelda. Hell, maybe she was Zelda.  
  
The wall was closer still. Link could see his reflection in it. "Goodbye," he said. He pulled her close, holding her in his arms.  
  
"Goodbye…"  
  
And with these last words, they were enveloped in the great, swirling mass. Intense pain coursed through Link's entire body, and he shrieked, but was drowned out by the sound of a million crashing waves, like an explosion of water. There was an intense white light, and then – as the pain subsided – blackness. Link felt his senses slipping away, and he lapsed into unconsciousness.  
  
~*~  
  
Warm sunlight played over Link's face. He opened one eye, and closed it again. A few moments later he tried again, and managed to open both eyes into a squint. A few birds chirped – from where? As he adjusted to the light, Link realized he was lying in the bed in the royal chamber. He sat up. Next to him was Zelda, still fast asleep. God, how she looked like Marin. Marin was gone.  
  
He climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb his fiancée. The window to the balcony was open. There was the sunlight, and there was the bird, sitting in a tree which reached the window. Koholint was gone.  
  
Link took careful stock of himself. The wound on his hand – gone. His swollen leg – healed. His sprained ankle – as good as new. The Nightmares were gone.  
  
He padded out onto the balcony, and the beautiful blue of the summer sky dazzled him. He stared out at the ocean which the castle overlooked. The soft beating of waves on the shore. Bliss. Below him, the seagulls swooped around, catching fish. Marin was gone… was she really just a figment of his imagination? Or was she on the other side of the world, visiting exciting new places on her brand-new wings?  
  
He smiled.  
  
He heard a voice behind him. "Link? You up?" said Zelda, audibly groggy. Looking back, he saw her sitting in bed, bleary-eyed but smiling.  
  
"Yeah, I'm up."  
  
"Let's go get breakfast, eh?"  
  
"Of course, my sweet." He walked into the room and leaned on the bed.  
  
She stuck out her tongue at him. "Don't call me 'my sweet.' You know I don't like pet names."  
  
"Whatever you say, sugar buns."  
  
She laughed, and managed to tackle him to the floor. He playfully wrestled with Zelda, pinning her to the floor, then let her up. They left, laughing and talking with each other all the way.  
  
And down below, and across the sea, and all over the world… maybe, just maybe, she was there.  
  
~FIN~ 


End file.
